When the Orioles return to Memorial Stadium for their opener Monday, nearby barkeepers will be whistling happily as they stock the shelves with extra beer bottles.

Among the bars counting the days until the O's arrive is the Charles Village Pub, a sports-minded bar that is marking its 10th anniversary.

There are plenty of in-house reminders that Memorial Stadium is just blocks to the east. The Orioles' season schedule hangs on one of the few stretches of wall not already taken up with sports photos. And fans who come here at twilight for a pregame pit stop can take advantage of a free shuttle bus to the stadium.

Because the Charles Village Pub sees its business pick up so appreciably during the baseball season, the months ahead will surely have some bittersweet moments as Baltimoreans look ahead to the opening of the Camden Yards stadium next year.

But even if some of the sports fanatics take their business south in 1992, there is a faithful sporting clientele that will still pledge allegiance to this pub. And its location in a neighborhood full of office workers and row house residents ensures that plenty of disposable income remains within walking distance.

Not only has the pub's sports appeal and club sandwich-crowned menu worked, but it has prompted two offshoots in other parts of town: Charles Village Pubs now can be found in Towson and Catonsville.

The pub in Charles Village, where it all began, looks much the same as it did a decade ago, and many of the service staff have been around nearly that long. To play up the anniversary, through today, the pub is offering many beverage and food items at 1981 prices. An Italian sausage sub for 1981's $1.95 is a pretty good deal.

The birthday celebration peaks on Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., where low prices give way to no prices for the free oysters and pit beef sandwiches.